Volume 5
(2013)

With this volume, The Journal of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research (JIUR) enters its fifth year of publication. From the inception, our intent has been to make this journal interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary in approach, publishing original and review papers, including literature reviews, book reviews, film reviews, position papers, empirical work, experiential reflections, and original quantitative and qualitative research. By offering undergraduates the chance to express their ideas to a broader audience, we seek to demonstrate the strength of undergraduate scholarship at Southern Adventist University and our continuing focus on academic excellence.

Looking back over the past five years, I can readily appreciate how the passage of time has allowed our journal to season into a product that we are increasingly proud to share. We have learned from our mistakes, appreciated the advice of many, felt the encouragement of several, and the continued support that has made this undertaking a reality. Slowly, but surely, we have come to understand what is needed to continue to produce a high-quality journal that assures a contribution to ongoing thought. With this knowledge, I am confident that this journal has become an integral part of our university’s future.

The compilation of our journal would not have been possible without our graduate assistant, Sarah Otis. With quiet confidence she assumed this role with the publication of our fourth volume. This year she has built upon past experience and following the publication of this volume will leave a comprehensive guide for the next graduate assistant who will assume her responsibilities. Above and beyond our expectations (there were many – keeping a busy editorial board on schedule, working with anxious students who submitted manuscripts for publication, editing to insure each submission met written guidelines, formatting each and every page in compliance with professional standards, and a multitude of other demands that seem to occur weekly), she was instrumental in downloading all our volumes onto a web repository that now allows worldwide access to the journal. To view previous publications of our journal, please go to knowledge.e.southern.edu. Thank you again, Sarah, for your commitment to excellence.

If there is a contingent within your university that is interested in producing such a journal, the timetable from inception to completion Sarah developed would serve as an invaluable guide. I would gladly share it with you for the asking (rcoombs@southern.edu).

We are pleased and grateful to our university, especially the School of Education and Psychology, for continued support, encouragement, and most of all the commitment to academic excellence that affords this publication.